Grime-fighting garments aim to purify air

http://www.cnn.com/2012/01/04/tech/catalytic-clothing/index.html

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But together, Helen Storey and Tony Ryan are fusing style and substance to create clothes that purify the air we breathe.
Their "Catalytic Clothing" venture makes use of existing self-cleaning technology found in paints and glass which employ photocatalysts to break down harmful airborne pollutants like nitrous oxide emitted by cars and factories.

Applying it to clothing is novel though, and potentially far more effective says Ryan, the pro-vice chancellor at the UK's University of Sheffield.

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When ultraviolet light hits titanium dioxide it causes pollutants to break down into non-harmful chemicals.
Working with Ecover (manufacturers of ecological cleaning products) Storey and Ryan are hoping to deliver the technology through a fabric conditioner with nano-particles of titanium dioxide attaching themselves to clothes during a normal washing cycle.

It's a vital technical but also democratic component to Ryan and Storey's approach.